NEW ORLEANS, Aug 14 (Reuters) - A U.S. police SWAT team stormed a rural Louisiana bank early on Wednesday, killing a gunman after he shot and critically injured two hostages he had held for more than 12 hours, a state police official said. State Police spokesman Albert Paxton said officers entered the bank branch in St. Joseph, Louisiana shortly after midnight because the gunman was threatening to kill one or both of the hostages he was holding. The man, identified as 20-year-old Fuaed Abdo Ahmed, the California-born son of Yemeni parents, shot both hostages when police entered the building.

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - A police SWAT team stormed a rural Louisiana bank early on Wednesday, killing a gunman after he shot and critically injured two hostages, in a dramatic end to a 12-hour standoff. State Police spokesman Albert Paxton said officers entered the bank building in the small town of St. Joseph shortly after midnight because the gunman was threatening to kill one or both of the hostages he was holding. The man, identified as 20-year-old Fuaed Abdo Ahmed, the California-born son of Yemeni parents, shot both hostages when police entered the building.

Aug 13 (Reuters) - A gunman was holding three hostages at a bank in northeastern Louisiana and police negotiators were on the scene, a local newspaper said on Tuesday. The Monroe, Louisiana News Star said there were no reported injuries so far in the incident. Authorities told the newspaper that much of the town of less than 2,000 people has been blocked off by law enforcement, who have surrounded the Tensas State Bank in St. Joseph, where the man is holding the hostages.

The state's Democratic dysfunction spilled into the courts Tuesday as Illinois' two top legislative leaders filed a lawsuit challenging Gov. Pat Quinn's decision to withhold lawmakers' paychecks until they send him a measure to overhaul the highly indebted government worker pension system. House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton cast the issue as a Civics 101 lesson, arguing that denying pay undermines the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches.

MIAMI -- A gunman set fire to his Miami-area apartment unit, then killed six people in and around the building in a shooting rampage before he was slain by police who stormed his position early Saturday and rescued two neighbors he had taken hostage. The freed hostages emerged unharmed from the pre-dawn raid, which ended a standoff that began late Friday and lasted several hours, police in the Miami suburb of Hialeah said. "We don't have a clear motive," Hialeah police spokesman Carl Zogby said.

PARIS, July 14 (Reuters) - The body has been found in Mali of French geologist Philippe Verdon, who was taken hostage in November 2011, Radio France Internationale (RFI) reported on Sunday. French President Francois Hollande said in his Bastille Day speech on Sunday it was possible Verdon died several weeks ago but his death was not officially confirmed. Citing a source close to the matter, RFI said DNA checks showed that the body found in the north of Mali was that of Verdon and it would be repatriated to France in a few days.

PARIS (Reuters) - A body found in northern Mali is likely to be that of French geologist Philippe Verdon, taken hostage in November 2011, France's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday. President Francois Hollande had said in his Bastille Day speech on Sunday that it was possible Verdon had died several weeks ago but his death was not officially confirmed. "There is a very strong chance that the body found recently in northern Mali is unfortunately that of our compatriot Philippe Verdon," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that further checks were being made.